


A Full House

by Wintermittens



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Body Dysphoria, Dismemberment, Does anyone remember that one episode of Batman the Brave and the Bold, Ed is still his bullshit self but actually a detective consultant, Everyone's severely fucked up and it all stems from Owlman, I mean someone loses their legs in the choppy way, I refuse to make Harley and Red a couple, Ivy is refrenced, Mental Health Issues, New names because Robin won't cut it, Owlman is a son of a bitch, Psychological Torture, Where Batman meets up with Good Guy!Joker, because i do - Freeform, excessive use of card game lingo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-02
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-08 15:21:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12867420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wintermittens/pseuds/Wintermittens
Summary: Owlman’s reign had been absolute, no one that had gone against him and if they did many ended up dead. People would call the fools who went up against him insane, it really made it ironic when the Owl was struck down that the person who did it was.





	1. Bad Beat

**Author's Note:**

> My friend Kaitlin Kubeli helped to beta this, so a big thanks to her! And thanks for reading! Sorry for super short beginning, things will get longer as we progress.

Dank and decrepit walls surrounded a small area that only allowed for a kitchen and sitting room crammed together. The TV was running the daily news live from Gotham square where a shoot out was occurring. The local block gang had beaten a police officer and GCPD flocked to the scene. Of course, the real reason the gang had beaten up the police officer was because the dumb bastard had been harassing a girl of eighteen and had started to become more than “friendly” with her. But no one ever said it, no one ever brought the other side of the story. Not any more. The channel flipped, a middle aged reporter droned on with an apathetic voice citing that homicide and suicide rates are still hitting a steep incline. Another flip, the mayor stared blankly at the camera vaguely assuring the reporters that everything was fine. Gotham was fine, it was a lovely city, such a lovely city really. He was right, Gotham is a city and she was lovely. But fine was far from the realm of possible. Gotham was not fine nor will she ever be under the thumb of their “Generous Benefactor”. The TV turned off. It was night time. 

 

The streets were slick with sleet. Winter had hit hard, the body skidding across the pavement went down harder. Tied together and strung up. A petty crook sent to the police department. They wouldn’t do anything, they’d keep him the night and then they’d be out in the streets again. Aways back again. Nothing was ever going to change, _ but you have to hope that it will _ .  _ It’ll get better, I can help make it better. _

 

_ It’s him. It’s the  _ **_monster_ ** _.  _ The ominous figure loomed over head on top of a building, cape fluttering behind it like wings in flight.“I thought I got rid of you.” The low growl came out of its throat. A smile,  _ disgusting, gross,  _ **_I hate-_ ** stretches under the capsule covering the suited vigilante’s face. “You can’t get rid of me Owlman. I’m here for the long run.” The creature stalked slowly into the shadows, goggles like eyes staring red at the faceless suit wearer on the street. “You were supposed to die in that vat Red Hood.”  _ Hot, acid burning,  _ **_burning HELP M-_ ** “I expected you to die.”  _ Crawling,  _ **_CLAWING_ ** _ , making my own way out changed,  _ **_changed CHANGED EVERYTHING-_ ** “I won’t make the same mistake twice, fool.” A red ace of spades sped through the air hitting the Owl’s arm, blood soaking the dense material of the creature’s coat. It jerked in surprise because- _ I didn’t use to want to hurt others,  _ **_but things change._ ** “And  _ I _ won’t hesitate any longer.”

 

Nights were now harrowing. Victims could become decoys used to distract. The winged demon became more ruthless, moving to display of power by attacking in the morning. Crimson cape fluttered as they matched each other, step for step, neither backing down from their iron resolve. The vermin however was beginning to become increasing rash when cornered,  _ that was the tipping point. _

  
  


Months of cunning, working, and nearly dying led up to this exact moment. It was done, it had happened. Red Hood had, on public news channels, taken down the Owl from its perch. Beaten, bloodied and tied up, **just** tied up. _Because no. No more deaths. No more lives stolen from the streets. I can’t let that one thing go. If I do,_ ** _I become just like you._** TVs across the city were tuned on. Every channel was reporting. People watched, wide eyed and with bated breathe. A boy watched from in an abandoned apartment above the scene, _awed_ _and_ _inspired_. Another from the foyer of a quiet cold manor, _with wonder in his eyes_. A girl sits with her mother and no father, _screaming with joy and jubilation_. A young man steps into the sun for the first time in ages coming into the world feeling _elation._  The commissioner looking at the bleeding lump at stoop of the Police Department and feeling _vindication and perhaps...change_. The Hood raced away to shadowy cover **feeling** - _I did it, I did it_ ** _I fucking did it._** He’s won, whether or not the police turn the villain back out like a revolving door or not Red Hood has won the day. Proven that the Owl is fallible, he can be taken down, and if the Owl does come back and take revenge. Red Hood will be there. _I’ll be there._

 

* * *

 

Editor’s Note

 

This chapter fas kinda fun to edit. It helps that after literal  _ years _ of trying to work together, Mittens and I finally get it done!!!! Yay! I am so excited to work on this story!!!!

 

~Kaitlin Kubeli


	2. Set Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Significantly longer chapter is out! Once again thanks are extended to my lovely editor Kaitlin Kubeli for her help in making this legible and cool!

It had only been a few days. Owlman was in the custody of the police, the news was still in uproar, and people were still silent in their homes. _Who was this mysterious “Red Hood”? Is he in league with the Owl? Is this going to last long? After all, the last vigilante ended up…._

 

The incessant clicking of the key board did not stop. The sound grew louder and louder until it overtook all other noises in the room. It was deafening and almost painful and yet held a special kind of comfort and control. Red scoured the internet as he continued to work from his home. The pill shaped helmet glinted in the low computer light. Curtains closed, door locked, TV set on mute and subtitles. _Never can be too careful. Don’t want-don’t want_ **_people_ ** _to come_ **_in_ ** _._ But who in their right mind would visit a run down apartment with little to no tenants in the poorest section that Gotham? _Robbers, murderers, landlords, busy bodies, unwanted humans and interacting with them._ Flimsy windows secured with reinforced steel and frail glass replace with bullet proof windows. Door with several lock and dead bolts and a chair placed under the knob. Overzealous? Perhaps. Paranoid? Certainly. But it wasn’t like he could control the almost manic need to be concealed. The noise of the keys hurt his ears, but he found an almost perverse pleasure in forcing himself to continue writing and searching the internet for more information. A forum was immediately created in the discussion of the new “player” on Gotham’s streets. A comment section seething with their theories and...less savory talk. He clicked off the web and turned the TV off. It was night time.

 

The night was slow. People still shaken up, many unknowing of their place in the balance of the world. Not many willing to take a risk. He was waiting for a correspondent from one of the local gangs, but it seemed he was running late. Reflection was inevitable on nights like these. _Am I really going to just spend my nights on a city that is so overrun with crime and villainy that it doesn’t even know how to function properly without it?_ Twitch of the fingers run over the red projectile in his hands. _Do_ **_I_ ** _know how to function? As an entire entity based of the need to stalk the night and stop wrongs from being committed, am_ **_I_ ** _needed or even_ **_necessary_ ** _in the proceedings of this charade?_ Eyes unseeing as fabric is slowly ripped open along the fingers of the gloves. _Am I wrong to even_ **_think_ ** _my actions will have long lasting effects upon this place so rotten? Is anything I’m doing really worth all the effort ? Am I just enabling my self-destructive tendencies and causing myself further trauma because I truly do not care for myself and justifying all of this through helping people?_ Hands begin to get wet, wet and sticky. _I_ **_want_ ** _my city to get better but I don’t even know if I’m doing this for the reasons I think I am._ A sharp whistle blows from below him. It’s Harvey Bullock. “You jus’ gonna stand up there like the weirdo you are or you gonna come down from there.” Slipping down from the precarious ledge of the building in front of the dower stout man. “Jesus.” Bullock swore, “what the hell happened to your hands?” Blood-stained, ripped gloves were now finally noticed. _Play it off._ “I got carried away.” Bullock eyed the dripping spade case on his left hip. “Yeah I don’t doubt that.” Luckily he didn’t press, just started to walk into the condemned building.

 

Harvey Bullock limped into the dark building. “Since you got rid of the bird freak the underbelly’s rousing again.” he stated tonelessly. He then turned stood facing Red. His one black eye gazing at the helmet. “Not to say that we ain’t thankful you took the fuck down or anything, but now there’s a giant power vacuum and some people are scrambling to gain a foothold in the new order of things.”  It’s unnaturally still in the abandoned room, not a word was uttered after this statement. _Should have known. Should have known that nothing is ever going to come from this._ Hands clench together forcing more blood to form little rivulets that dripped down to the ground. Bullock opened his mouth to no doubt spew for the elicit plans that the corrupt were planning now that the biggest fish was fried.  “I’m telling you this ‘cause I know you ain’t gonna give up.” Minutely, the helmet jerks up. _What?_ Bullock stared at him with his one brown eye, “You’re the first guy who actually stood up to the Owl and didn’t get whacked. You saved my life and countless others. This shittty scenario is bad yeah, but it’s progress.” _It’s progress_ . “I know that you’re fucking messed up and _weird_ but, _goddamit_ .” At this Bullock pressed his hand against his head and massaged his temple. “I don’t even know what I’m doing here.” He gazed sardonically back at the Hood. “Look I know this is weird and honestly I ain’t good with words, just know you’re doing a hellova lot more than anyone else and that shit you’re doing to yourself ain’t helpin’ nobody. Now we’re gonna talk about who these new faces are and what they want from Gotham or you’re gonna leave. What’s it gonna be.” Something prickled his eye, his heart throbbed painfully. He didn’t know why. _It’s progress._ “Who are these new players.” Bullock pulled out papers from his breast and the night is spent making plans. His hands go unattended but that’s alright.

 

The next night it was raining and  there was someone on the roof next to him. _Heart pace quickens, lungs collapse, no no nono_ **_nonono. You’re not supposed to be out so soon_ ** . Spade in hand, the presence moves itself  right next to him silently. He spins around quickly, grabs the arm of the person and pins them to the ground. A thud and deep intake of breathe is all that comes from the body below him. The ace of spade is pressed closely to the unprotected skin of the probable assailant. _Wait._ The material of the coat is slightly rough tweed, not the sleek industrial material he knows. Glasses flash in the low light on an unfamiliar, unmasked face. _Shit._ A GCPD badge hanged around the unknown’s neck. _Double shit._ “ If you would kindly move that projectile away.” The police affiliated person said. That voice however is familiar. Very familiar. _Shit shit shit._ “Commissioner Gordon?”

 

It was, in fact, Commissioner Gordon. Which brought a whole new wave of troubles. If news got out that the Red Hood had pulled a weapon on the Commissioner of the police all credibility and fragile trust will be gone. _I’m so fucking screwed._ The police were a corrupt agency that adhered to the Owlman’s rule, it was a risky gambit to leave the villain in the GCPD’s hands. However if Owlman did escape or just reappear it would reflect terribly on the department and force eyes at the going ons inside the force. But now this happened and it was fully possible that it could be used against him and allow Owlman to be free and cause the city to sink into turmoil again, if only he hadn’t- _I cannot have a panic attack right now. I need to calm down._ If Gordon noticed that the Hood began to shake slightly he made no mention and calmly repeated. “If you would kindly move that projectile away I have something I want to tell you.” Very carefully, Red released the Commissioner and stepped away. Gordon had just pushed himself up, unruffled at the attack upon his person, and turned his back turned to Red. _Is this...is this a test? Does he trust me? Is he naive enough to leave himself open to attack? What is he doing?_ Gordon’s eyes were completely obscured by his glasses, posture rigid and militaristic. He slowly turned to face the Hood again. “You didn’t attack me when my back was turned.” He said almost monotonically, “You either are biding your time for a second attack or were stunned that I had given you the opportunity. It is the latter” He stalked closer. “You previously attacked me out of fear. You knew I was on the rooftop with you and didn’t know who. You then let me go.” It was almost face to helmet now. His eyes were still not visible no matter the proximity. They stared at each other for what felt like eons and then the commissioner opened his mouth. “I will not mince words. I do not trust you. You are an unknown masked vigilante roaming this city distributing justice as you see fit.” Hood felt more than saw Gordon’s gaze sharpen. “Our last vigilante became a dictator and completely upturned this city and all its inhabitants. How do I know you won’t do the same?” Red’s hands throbbed from how he clenched them tightly at his side, they hadn’t healed from the night previous and were starting to ooze blood because of the pressure. The Hood took no notice of this but Gordon did. “I don’t believe you’re even mentally well enough to step out your door let alone into the streets of Gotham.” He wants to scream that Gordon doesn’t know what he’s talking about, that he’s _fine,_ that he’s been doing this since before the Commissioner actually gave a fuck. But he can’t because it’s true. There’s a _reason_ he can’t stand to go outside, that he’s so _secluded_ , that he made Gotham his _everything_ . Because he has _nothing_ and it hurts him. “I know I’m not. I cannot give you a reason to trust me, I cannot dispute what your saying either. But,” He squared his shoulders. “I am under no assumption that my actions are the will of the people or even what they need, and since it seems that you actually give a damn I know that you will get rid of me if you do.” There was another stand off until Gordon just walked away without another word. His blood stained his gloves again. _Was this progress?_

 

There is a walk in therapy clinic in the middle class range of Gotham. There is only one doctor there and her name is Harleen Quinzel. She looks at her clipboard reads the name and frowns. “John Doe?” She asks the barren room. Her face grows more severe, “Stupid kids playing pranks on m-” A harsh boom and rattle issue from the door slamming open. There is a man in a black shirt and gray sweatpants with a brown bag over his face, he panted a little stooped over from exertion. “I’m sorry I’m late.” Was quietly said. “I...had to work up the nerve to come.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Katilin - well this was fun  
> WM - Me as well actually. I like this chapter a lot, you?  
> Kaitlin - It was fun to come up with. Hey am I an editor or a co author?  
> WM - I say both really.  
> Kaitlin - I guess that counts. I helped ya brainstorm and I helped ya edit it. *shrugs*  
> WM - And you spend time with me figuring it all out too. So really, you are an editor/ co-author.  
> Kaitlin - Coolio. This is new. ♪lets both fall in love like there’s no cruel feeling!♪ *starts to sing along to song*  
> WM - Heh, well thanks for reading. Me and Kat will reply to any and all questions.  
> Kaitlin - sorry I’m listening to VOCALOID right now. But yup yup! We’ll do our best to answer any and all questions! ♪wave high the flags, in honor of our king! Hail the lord, of honor and prestige! Wave high the flags of honor and prestige!♪*starts singing again*  
> WM - And on that note we bid you adieu.  
> Kaitlin - see ya in the next chapter


	3. Pick Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for this extremely late chapter. Thanks extended to my lovely editor Kaitlin Kubeli.

The room was softly lit by a lamp in the right corner nestled next to a large bookcase of tomes. Two large plush chairs that faced each other where in the center of the small room. John had been coming in twice every week for a month now, days sometimes swapping but never dropping below two appointments like clockwork. From what she could tell he always seemed to be surprised at finding himself in the room with her. Mr. Doe, he tried is all she can say, today talked about his trip to the grocery store. Which he has apparently been neglecting to go to for a month.

****

_Like Bullock had said, some of the lower level criminals had decided to try their luck on the streets since the Owl had been out of commission and stayed that way. A robbery had occurred near the Narrows, a family owned shop that was a front for one of the main neighborhood gangs. Oswald Chesterfield had always been someone the Hood could count on to be decent, he also was someone he knew how to deal with. He stepped in and left the criminals tied up in front of the police station Hood_ **_knew_ ** _Gordon would be in. And then he went back. Chesterfield had been surprised and slightly suspicious, however when the Hood just ambled to and fro collecting necessities from the shelves. He must've looked ridiculous in his red helmet and three piece suit torn from the previous scuffle. When he reached the counter Chesterfield had wavered the price. "Friend discount. I don't want to hear you buying from anywhere else now, be bad for your wallet and mine." The long nosed man then winked and went into the back room. Hood stood there for a long moment in silence, and then left._

****

"I had gotten my items and waited to be rung up and the cashier gave me a discount. He then closed up because I was the last customer of the night." She smiled, "Well isn't that great that he gave you a discount?" John shrugged. Harleen then clicked her pen, "And you felt what exactly in the grocery store?" The man under the brown bag fiddled with the hem of his t-shirt. "I was anxious, and....surprised. It went smoothly. I didn't, rather I thought it would've gone worse." She clicked her pen at the end of his stilted sentence. "You thought that something bad would happen if you went out?" She asked. Mr. Doe's hands clenched the gray material. "I was....scared...of being outside. There wasn't a thing in particular I thought would happen while out, I just felt like something would." Harleen looked down and wrote that down. She then looked up and asked again, "Is there anything else you'd like to talk about?" There was another thirty minutes in this session and it honestly seemed that he had more things to say, but she wouldn't push him on it, he would start to clam up if she did. The bag rumpled as a hand went under to scratch the hair(?) she thought would be under it.

****

Another anxious tick she noted, this man was a mess of problems that he only barely let her scratch the surface of. From day one he said that he'd always wear the bag or other type of headgear, "I don't like....my face." In fact his whole body was covered up in soft grey sweats and t-shirt. Only spindly long arms bare and, in a frankly upsetting, bleached white color. He hated to be looked at and if he could he would avoid human contact, not any contact from anything else however since she saw him pet a cat on his way out. He had immediately and vehemently shot down any and all reschedules to morning or afternoon appointment, possibly to avoid being out with other people. In fact it was a marvel he even came here at night seeing at how little he said at the appointments. She frowned, he was trying, anyone could see that. John was trying and that's what she was here to help with.

"I, uh....had an encounter with someone I'm trying to....connect with?"

****

_The bags had little ice-skating penguins on them. It looked ridiculous, a_ ** _laugh_** _bubbled in the back of his throat that was quickly stifled._ ** _He hated his laugh._** _With shaky hands he continued on his way toward his apartment building. Locks opened meticulously, one after the other, from top to bottom until each no longer hindered him. The last one however wasn't._ ** _It wasn't locked._** _He_ ** _always_** _locked each one._ ** _Someone was in his apartment._** _Bags left near the entrance of the building he slowly slipped a red ace of spade into his hand. Quickly Hood opened the door and the spade flew straight out of his hand. The figure moved out of the way and it hit the wall with a deep thunk. Another quickly replaced the one gone from his grasps. "Hood." The figure said now in the middle of the small room. Glasses glinted from the sparse light the hallway offered. It was Commissioner Gordon again. "....Don't ever come into my house again." The other man's only acknowledgement was the throwing of case files on the small table and leaving through the window. Hood stood in silence for the second time this night until he left and went to collect_

****

"How did it go?" Harleen asked hopefully. "Badly. I don't think he....tolerates me very much, and.....I don't know whether or not I like him either." With that the clock chimed nine and Mr. Doe rose with his goodbyes as she walked him to the door. "I'll see you....on Thursday." She nodded and he left. 

* * *

 

It is storming out in Gotham tonight, the buildings were getting pelted and it was almost time to close up shop for the night in case it got worse. The door slammed open and was quickly shut, Harleen's head whipped toward the sound and see saw Mr. Doe drenched like a wet rat in a....football helmet? Dark mesh covered his head underneath and now had the matching sweater to his sweats, but other than that he was in his nondescript gray apparel. "I'm sorry, it's raining...really hard." She let out a small chuckle. "I left a phone call telling you to stay in Mr. Doe." He fidgeted like a scolded child at this and replied, "...My phone got disconnected." That sobered her. "I see, well let's get something to make sure you don't get the seat wet."

 

"Do you want to talk about your phone line or is there anything else you'd rather talk about?" She asked gently, he never shared anything about his house situation so maybe it was a topic he was sore on that. His head bobbed up, "Oh no! I just was late on a payment...it will be mended by tomorrow, I'm sorry if for inconveniencing you." Harleen smiled, "No it's fine, however if you don't have anything to say I could offer you a ride to your house?" She'd have to take that towel because Pammy might get mad that the car seats would be wet but she could make it work. "N-no I had, there was something that had happened." He folded his hands together and looked pensive, "That, uh...person well he, I saw him again?"

 

_The Commissioner left files on a human trafficking ring that had been on his radar for two months. Bullock had helped where he could but he didn't have all the facts on them to really make a bust. Gordon had collected all his resources and delivered them to him and when Hood had escorted all of the victims out of the warehouse basement and had gotten the people who were responsible worse for wear and tied up he had went and sought Gordon out. The man was standing atop of the police station waiting, perhaps he knew Red Hood would make an appearance. "...Thank you for giving me those files, the gang that had created the ring are tied up and are near Fourth and Fifth Street." Gordon inclined his head and pulled out of his coat a manila folder. "This is on the Tailor family, they seems to be doing something unsavory at the moment." Red padded gloves reached out and collected the incriminating evidence. Once securely in his grasps Hood went to leave however Gordon called out, "You have someone on the inside." Bullock, he had Bullock. However Harvey was clean, he knew it, he had tripled checked and kept a constant watch. Harvey never wavered, he trusted Harvey, what was Gordon trying t- "Tell him to be careful, and if he would like to return to the force I can clear him." Silence became prevalent. It would weigh on him less if Harvey was in the force again and not under threat of being killed due to being a liaison of Red Hood, but that wasn't his choice. "Goodbye Commissioner. Thank you for the files."_

I'm still unsure if he likes me or not, but uh, he helped me with a project of mine and...I don't know? I'm unsure whether or not this will be good for me." Harleen frowned. "Has he done anything?" She left that open ended, it would be nice for John to start connecting with other people as it would help draw him out of the tight shell however if this was detrimental to him she'd rather he not connect with someone who would cause Mr. Doe to regress further. "No!" He exclaimed, he seemed to get what the underlying message was. John wrung his wet t-shirt in his hands. "No. He hasn't, I'm just...I don't know. I don't, I don't get why he started talking to me? I don't understand what he wants from me?" Harleen twirled her pen in her hand, â€œWhy do you think that he has a motive to talk to you? Perhaps he just wants to?" Mr. Doe scoffed, "No, I know he's only talking and helping me for a reason. We aren't friends, we are colleagues. I'm just, worried. That I might.....do something wrong." The clock signaled the end of this appointment. She wanted to ask him if he'd like to extend visit for a few more minutes because it seemed like he had more to say. Harleen knew, though, she knew he wouldn't want to pursue the topic and that he wouldn't want the extra time to. So she watched as he awkwardly fumbled his way out into the still pouring rain and took the towel out to dry.

* * *

 

Harley yawned as she made her way out of the coffee shop into the lamp lit streets, her night had gone long and she needed a little pick me up to continue her work. It was just her luck that someone had decided to mug her on her way to the car. "Hand over the purse doll face." The large man leered, grinning maliciously with a knife in hand. She quickly took off her purse strap and gave it to him without hesitation, it was best in these situations right? The man grin grew wider after he had the item of interest he looked up, "You know doll face, I don't think tha's all I want from you." He took a threatening step forward as she took one back into a wall. She was trapped and he loomed closer, just before he could grab her a red gloved fist flew from the right. The man fell back and she watched the infamous Red Hood make quick work of the offender, quickly tying him up and grabbing her the purse back. "Are you alright?" The voice came out filtered and garbled from the helmet. She was too stunned to say anything so she nodded. Why did the voice sound slightly familiar? He carefully placed the purse in her numb hands and went to leave. As he left police arrived, a man in a dark brown trench coat came towards her. "Ms. Quinnzel?" Harley's head jutted to where his voice sounded from. He was holding a shock blanket, she did nothing as he slowly wrapped it around her and guided her towards an ambulance that she hadn't heard coming. "Ms. Quinnzel, do you have anyone you have to call?" He asked again. Shaken from her stupor she quickly rasped out if she could call her girlfriend, the man came back with a burner phone and she shakily dialed Pamela's number. The phone rung once and Harley dreaded the idea that she wouldn't pick up and let out a gust of air as the Pam answered. "This is Doctor Isely, to whom am I speaking?" Her strong, calm voice came flowing out like a balm on Harley's soul. "Pammy?" She said through tears that had only now started to fall. "Harley? Is that you? What's wrong?" Harley laughed, slightly hysterical. "Oh Pammy, I might have gotten into a little bit of trouble..."

The call with Pamela had ended with Pamela asking where she was so she could pick her up. Commissioner Gordon, because now that she had calmed down she could recognize him, had then reached out to collect the phone but she kept it from him, "Sorry there's one more call that I'd like to make, one of my patients was coming in for an appointment. I have to call him to tell him I can't come in." A strange expression seemed to overtake the commissioner's face at that as his hand lowered to his side. "I think he doesn't need to have a call." He gave her a meaningful glance. Her face scrunched up, "I think he does. He won't know why my door is locked and it would cause him distress seeing as I'm always in before he is. I don't want to make him even more anxious than he already is." Mr. Gordon blinked at how viciously she retorted, but she didn't feel an ounce of regret. Gotham had the highest rate of mental illness in the country, and people belittling the problem caused more to arise. It was her job to help people and if all it took was a phone call then that's what she was going to do."I'm sorry Doctor Quinnzel, you can if you want to. I meant no offense." She dialed the number and it rang, once, twice, three times. Instead of the stuttering answer she was used to, a voicemail played generically as she left him a message. The phone was then passed to the older man and a horn honked in the distance. A large BMW came closer to the scene as the commissioner left Pamela ran over exclaiming her worry

"You didn't tell her." It sounded like an accusation. The hood looked down at Ms. Harleen as she and her girlfriend embraced. "I didn't think that wrapping her up in crime and vigilantism would be beneficial in any way."Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Gordon leave a manila folder on the edge of the building, "There has been reports of suspicious activity near the waterfront, I have probable evidence the Montagonni family is trying to garner power to rise back into the forefront-" Red Hood took the folder and read through the contents as Gordon continued to brief him on the subject as the cars below started and speed away.

 

Harley startled herself next to Pam as they drove down the freeway. "What? What's wrong Harles?" Pamela reached out as Harley waved her concern away. "I'm fine Pammy, just fine." She looked out her window. Commissioner Gordon...how had he known her name and who she was going to call?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kaitlin - Wow that took forever.  
> WM - I'm still really sorry for taking so long on this update.  
> Kaitlin - Yeah with finals and then the craziness of the holidays it was bound to come out late.  
> WM - I am however pretty happy with how it came out.  
> Kaitlin - Yeah I would say that we accomplished a good chunk. Not much plot wise happened but we got quite a bit of character development done.  
> WM - That's my favorite part of it all! Just making characters react and develop together, what about you Kaitlin?  
> Kaitlin - *shrugs* I like the inner musings of the character the best.  
> WM - I like that too to be honest. Do you think we should sign off for now?  
> Kaitlin - not before wishing them well for the holidays!  
> WM - Thank you all for reading and have a lovely holiday season!  
> Kaitlin - Merry Christmas, Happy Boxing Day, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Holidays to the rest!!!! See you in the next chapter!


End file.
